Although computer networks have become relatively common both in office and in home networking environments, such networks are typically fairly sophisticated and require significant processing power, electrical power, and infrastructure to work well. Other networks, such as wireless Wi-Fi computer networks and cellular telephone networks use access controls, encryption, multiple bands or channels, and other methods to ensure secure and reliable wireless communication. Other networking applications do not require so robust a network environment, but can benefit from the ability to provide electronic communications between devices.
One such example is the Bluetooth technology that enables a cell phone user to associate and use an earpiece in what is sometimes referred to a personal area network or PAN. Another example is a mesh network, in which a number of devices work together to form a mesh, such that data can be sent from a source device to a destination device via other devices in the mesh network.
Mesh networks often include multiple links from a network node to other network nodes nearby, and can thereby provide routing around broken links or paths by discovering other routes through the mesh to a destination node. New nodes to a mesh network are typically able to automatically discover the mesh network when they are activated in the vicinity of a compatible mesh network, and can easily join the network.
Mesh networks are typically made up of network nodes that are not mobile, and so link quality and reliability is relatively slow to change. Most applications of mesh networks rely on radio frequency communications to transfer data between network nodes, as running cables between nodes defeats somewhat the intended ease of installation and use of mesh network devices.
Mesh network device installations often have multiple networks deployed in remote locations, and are managed from a central location or server. The central location computer might have knowledge of what devices are within each of the mesh networks under management, but typically does not have direct access to the network nodes or knowledge of the location of each node in the network. For example, a mesh network controller might monitor an array of temperature and humidity sensors in a warehouse and know the location of some fixed nodes in the warehouse, but will not know the location of other, mobile nodes in the network.
There exists a need to provide network technology that addresses factors such as management of wireless mesh network nodes.